Tag: India

Electric. Dynamic. Chaotic. The maker (and breaker) of dreams – Mumbai city, India is a pulsating metropolitan city that’s filled with the best of the best (restaurants, hotels, eateries, shops), and the worst of the worst (weather, garbage, crowds). It also just happens to be our home. With our ongoing Landmarks of Mumbai series, we’ll explore small areas of the city, piece by piece, lending our insider knowledge and expertise to each area – so you, traveller, tourist and fellow Mumbaikar – know exactly what landmark to visit, where to stay and where to eat.

Gateway of India
This arch-shaped monument has been standing tall, (and pretty-much graffiti free) since 1924, when it was built to welcome British officials into the city. While the English left us a while ago, we’re not complaining about what they left behind—architecturally gorgeous, built in the Indo-Saracenic style, this imposing gateway is pretty much synonymous with Mumbai, and Bombay before it. Unmissable.

Why you should see it: The best time to ‘see’ this spectacular English-constructed landmark is just as the sun rises—the crowds at the lowest and you’ll get views against a spectacular skyline. While you can see the Gateway from the promenade nearby, it’s officially open for business between 7am-5:30pm, all days of the week, when it gets crowded with everyone from click-happy tourists (Look Ma, I’m holding up the gateway) to frenzied professionals going about their daily commute. But if you get there around sunset, the area comes alive with hordes of people taking walks along the seafront and meandering the nearby streets for food and drink spots, popular in this area. Walking around here is the best way to get a feel of the city as a local.Tourist haunts: Around the corner from the gateway sits Colaba Causeway—practically as popular as the former; the popular go-to food stops for out-of-towners tend to be The Leopold Café, Café Mondegar, Bade Miyan (a food truck-turned-restaurant), Theobroma, Cafe Churchill and Delhi Darbar (for biryani). This area is extremely famous for Mumbai’s street shopping that includes artificial jewellery, bags and clothing. (Make sure to bargain)GYG picks: A whole in the wall old-school Indian-styled Chinese restaurant Ling’s Pavillion, Bagdadi,a little Irani-styled eatery best known for their range of pulaos, fried fish and caramel custard,Le 15 Café for its quaint English-café charm, Colaba Social for a fun-well-priced drink and Bombay Stock Exchange’s terrace-top bar, Cafe Churchill for old school continental cuisine and freshly bakes pastries.Hotel recommendations:Basic: Abode BombayBreaking the budget: Taj Vivanta, Taj Mahal Palace & Hotel

Taj Mahal Palace & Hotel
The resident ghost of Taj Mahal Hotel is an urban legend that dates back to 1903. While the building was commissioned to three Indian architects, the main architect passed away whilst it was still under construction and was replaced by English engineer WA Chambers. Rumour has it, when he discovered the building had been constructed facing the opposite direction to his intent, he committed suicide and haunts the halls, even today. A ghostly tale not enough to entice a visit to the gorgeous India-Saracencic styled building?

Why you should see it: Go for the incredible hospitality at any of its great restaurants (The Golden Dragon is a personal favourite) – or just to marvel at its incredible architecture (tourists are allowed to walk in and explore the lobby and stores). You can also get gorgeous images against the beautiful building.Tourist haunts: The Sea Lounge coffee shop at the Taj, overlooks the Gateway of India and offers the most sublime tea time service. (think layers of coffee cake and finger sandwiches). Around the corner are little sugarcane juice vendors to get through the heat that a day in Mumbai is bound to impress upon you.
GYG picks: While we love all the restaurants at the Taj hotel, venture to causeway where Piccadilly has the best shawarma’s we’ve had in the city, Gables for unique Goan cuisine, Olympia Coffee House for their old-world charm, keema pav, caramel custard and Mumbai-staple chai. The Strand Hotel rooftop bar for gorgeous views along with your drinks.Hotel recommendations:Basic: Abode BombayBreaking the budget: Taj Vivanta, Taj Mahal Palace & Hotel

The Asiatic Society of MumbaiHome to more than a hundred thousand books, of which 15,000 are classified as rare and valuable, this heritage structure influenced by Greek and Roman architecture with its pristine white exterior is better known as a venue for loved-up pre-wedding photo shoots and general photo ops. We kinda like it for both, as you can see. Hehe. Asiaticsociety.org.infor details of accessibility and opening hours.

Why you should see it: One of the prettiest buildings in Mumbai has gone through extensive refurbishments to stay perfect. The interiors with their winding staircases, long columns and antiquated-style are perfect to take you back to Bombay of the past.
Tourist haunts: Horniman Circle Garden down the road from the Asiatic is the perfect spot of greenery in the midst of the bustling city, and if you saunter around in the afternoon, you’re likely to find a bunch of snoozing men under the shade of the tress. It’s also home to popular Indian-style stores like The Bombay Store, Chumbak and FabIndia for touristy (and quality) memorabilia.
GYG picks:The Nutcracker veggie restaurant for its delectable pancakes, Kala Ghoda Café for those who love being healthy on holiday, Trishna (arguably the best seafood restaurant in the city) and Ayubs (a hole-in-the-wall roll guy) who went from operating out of a car to having his own little space in Kala Ghoda. He’s also open until 3-4 am for late-night cravings. Britannia & Co. Restaurant a is synonymous with serving the best Parsi food in the city with its berry pulav (his berries are imported all the way from Iran) and salli boti (mutton gravy) are definitely not to be missed. You also get live entertainment from the kind old owner who dishes out tales from the British era.
Hotel recommendationsBasic: Ascot Hotel, Residency Hotel Fort, Grand HotelBreaking the budget: Trident Nariman Point, The Oberoi Mumbai

Hanging Gardens of MumbaiFor endless, unfettered views of Mumbai’s iconic marine drive promenade and gorgeous aerial views of the city, and sunset views over the Arabian Sea, head down to this terraced garden, settled comfortably in a residential area of South Mumbai. From morning walkers to busloads of tourists, they all descend upon the garden for a look at ‘The Old Woman’s Shoe”. Sitting in Kamala Nehru Park complex, the shoe structure is inspired by the nursery rhyme, ‘There was an Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe” and makes for a great whimsical photo-op.

Why you should see it: For the gorgeous sunset views of the city’s famed Queen’s necklace, for the quietude in the middle of this chaotic city and to take a quiet breath.
Tourist haunts: Banganga Tank an ancient water tank part of the Walkeshwar Temple Complex.
GYG picks:Dakshinayan, an authentic South Indian restaurant with high quality food and the best filter coffee; China Garden, an old-school, award winning Chinese restaurant, Narayan’s Dosa, grant road (a little hard to find, but Zomato should help you out).
Hotel recommendationsBasic: The Regency Hotel, Nepensea RoadBreaking the budget: The Shalimar Hotel, Mumbai

When someone tells you that you “have to go to Amsterdam” in winter you don’t moan about how cold and windy it’s going to be, instead you pack all the warm clothes you possibly have and make the most of a winter vacation. I’ve always despised the cold, I mean who doesn’t love Margaritas on a beach but skiing on a mountain or sipping on mulled wine in a quaint little town in Switzerland is equally (or more) impressive. Each vacation, whatever the weather may be relies on what you do and how you experience it and a little tip, once you’re in the minuses example -1 and survived; all the minuses are endurable.

Whether you’re gliding down a river, floating above the clouds in a metal bird or leaving dusty roads behind, music makes a great companion

Music and travel have a tantalising relationship. These two go hand in hand like Brad and Angelina on the sets of Mr. and Mrs. Smith (who knew they’d get a divorce). Music is quite an addiction for most of us where it’s impossible to leave the house without an IPod or music providing device. Good music can quite easily transport you to your happy place, engulf you in its world and leave you spellbound wanting the sensation to never end. As a result, we’ve compiled a list of what we think make the perfect companions for a “feel good” travel journey. If nothing, these suggestions are guaranteed to awaken the inner free spirit in you and encourage you to pack those bags and head out.

Warning: Some of these are classic clichés but we just couldn’t help ourselves.

Reach work at 9am and stare at a computer screen for the next 9 hours of the day. Repeat 5 times a week. Sounds delightful! Not. I would much rather pack up, leave and travel the world for the next year (enter frowning Indian parent faces). There I said it!

A part of Pakistan until 1971, opened to tourists only in 2010, this hidden gem in J&K is a gateway to the formidable Siachen Glacier, offers a view of Pakistan’s army bunkers and the chance for thrill-seekers to unearth forgotten wonders

You won’t find any sari-clad Kajol lookalikes running across the snow-topped mountains, seemingly oblivious to the cold, but in the last few years Leh has made the jump from off-the-radar escape to mainstream holiday destination for even Himachal-bound honeymooners. Whether it’s the capital city that’s now teeming with part-of-a package-tourists in popular months, to the unreal Pangong Lake dotted by too real biscuit-wrappers to enthusiastic camel-riding tourists in the Nubra Valley, Leh’s mass-virginity has been taken.

But the mountains keep some secrets, still. And there remain places hard to reach, and harder to live in… dusty old villages where royalty tells the tale of it’s slow demise in its own tongue, and the number of households are less than 500. The sleepy, near forgotten village of Turtuk is one of them. Here are seven reasons to visit the tourist-light, lesser-known village in the Leh district of Jammu & Kashmir.

There’s nothing more exhilarating than driving 5 hours away from an overly populated city and in to the green arms of Mother Nature. The air is crisp yet slightly smokey from nearby village woodfires, the trees spindly with silvery white trunks yet losing much of their greenness due to the onset of the dry season and birds flying low guiding you to your haven . This space looks raw yet inviting and as you drive on the makeshift rocky road you reach a gem in the middle of the jungle – The Serai Bandipur.

Say hello to grabyourglobe.com - and us, the two criminal masterminds behind it. We're Chandni and Simone, two girls with full-time jobs and ants in their pants. A passion project, this blog is where you can join us as we juggle our jobs and our insatiable desire to travel — and we chronicle every blooper, so you can make less, and every adventure, so you can have your own. It's time to work hard, and trip harder.